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Semi-finals week is always a bit strange. Despite being the lower-ranked team, it often feels like the side coming off a win have more going for them.

For a long while that was little more than wishful thinking. Between 2008 and 2013 every team that finished in the top four played off in a preliminary final.

Since 2014, however, things have changed, with four of the eight semi-final winners being teams that finished in the bottom half of the eight.

Last year was a return to the norm for the sides with a double chance, but given how close this season has been, it’s fair to believe at least one of the Demons or Giants will find themselves in the final four.

According on the bookies Melbourne are heavy favourites to reach their first preliminary final since 2000 and hand the Hawks their fourth straight finals defeat.

It’ll take quite a turnaround from the last meeting between these sides for those things to happen. When they last met back in Round 4, the Hawks handed the Demons a 67-point hiding – Melbourne’s heaviest defeat since 2016.

Hawthorn cut the Dees up on turnovers that day, getting 77 points from takeaways – the second most Melbourne conceded in any game this year behind only their head-scratching loss to the Saints – and also dominated the stoppages, winning the count 56-38 and outscoring Melbourne 32-14 from clearances. It was a hiding in every sense as the Hawks knocked off the Demons for the 15th time in 16 games.

The stoppage numbers were slightly surprising, given Melbourne finished the season as the No.1 scoring team from stoppages at 35.6 points a game, but they were 10th for points against, giving up 29.5 points from stoppages.

Hawthorn, on the other hand, were only 14th for points for (26) but were No.1 for points against at just 26 points a game.

The ruck battle should be fascinating. Max Gawn is the best tap ruckman in the competition, but it’s his marking ability that sets him apart from most of his rivals.